9 
Botanical description. —Species, F. rubiginosa, Desf., Vent., Jard., Malm., t. 114. 
A tree of considerable size, with spreading branches, throwing out woody roots, which descend 
to the ground, forming pillars as in the Indian Banyan Tree* (F. indica), the young shoots 
and petioles more or less ferruginous pubescent. 
Leaves. —On petioles of \ inch to 1 inch, oval or elliptical, obtuse or very shortly and obtusely 
acuminate, entire, rounded or very slightly cordate at the base, 3 to 4 inches long, and 2 to 
2.1 broad when full grown, coriaceous, glabrous above, more or less ferruginous-pubescent 
underneath, with numerous parallel very divergent primary veins, of which ten to twelve on 
each side of the mid-rib are rather more prominent than the others, and the basal pair more 
oblique. 
Stipules. —Narrow-acuminate. 
Receptacles. —Axillary, mostly in pairs, on thick broadly terminate peduncles of 1 line or rather 
more, globular, about 4 or 5 lines in diameter, usually marked with prominent warts. 
Subtending bracts. —Broad, membraneous, about 2 lines in diameter, very deciduous. 
Male flowers. —Intermixed with the females.f 
Bracts. —Acuminate, brown as well as the perianths. 
Anther-cells. —Confluent at the apex into a single reniform cell, and at length very divergent so 
as to appear to open transversely. 
Stigma. —Linear and acute, not very long. (B.F1., vi. 168). 
Botanical Name. — Ficus, Latin, a fig or fig-tree; rubiginosa , Latin, rusty. 
Vernacular Names. —“Port Jackson Pig,” “ Illawarra Pig,” from the best 
known localities. “ Rusty Pig,” because of the ferruginous appearance of the young 
shoots, &c. “Native Banyan,” “Narrow-leaved Pig,” “Small-leaved Pig,” in 
comparison with the “Large-leaved Pig” (F. macrophylla). 
Aboriginal Names. —“ Dthaaman ” of the Port Jackson aborigines. The 
late Sir William Macarthur, in his catalogue of exhibits for the London Exhibition 
of 1862, gives the name “ Baira ” to the “ Small-leaved Pig ” and “Warrauka” 
to the “Smallest-leaved Pig.” Both aboriginal names probably refer to this species, 
but the tribes who used the names are not mentioned, and the “ Baira ” is simply 
referred to as “another giant of the cedar brushes,” and “Warrauka” as “the 
largest tree of the cedar brushes.” “ Pingy” of the Port Curtis (Queensland) blacks 
(C. Hedley). 
Synonyms.— 
F. australis , Willd., Sp., PI. iv, 1138. 
TJrostigma rubiginosum, Gaspar, Nov. Gen., Pic. 7, quoted in his Ricerch. 
Oaprif, 82, t. 7, 6 to 13. 
By nurserymen this tree is commonly known as F. australis. 
* This refers more particularly to the Banyan of Lord Howe Island ( F. columnaris, F.v.M. and Moore), considered 
to be a form of F. rubiginosa by Bentham. 
t And a few gall-flowers.—J.H.M. 
B 
